Citizen Kane, released in 1941 and directed, co-written, and starring the legendary cinematic genius Orson Welles is considered to be the greatest American film of all time. The American Film Institute named it the greatest film on two separate occasions and for very good reason. This film was way ahead of it's time and Orson Welles would never make another film quite like this one. Welles leads the talented cast as the larger than life, Charles Foster Kane, who is born poor, but eventually runs a popular newspaper and becomes extraordinarily wealthy. His life gradually begins to crumble and he becomes more involved with his work and less involved in more important things in life, like relationships with people. The film starts with Kane's death and then through a newsreel, flashbacks, and flash-forwards, the viewers gradually get an idea of who this character was exactly. This kind of narrative formed worked extremely well, starting at the end and gradually making its way to the beginning of the story, something that would become extremely popular over the years. The cinematography is incredibly beautiful, with low angle shots on occasion to give Welles a dominant presence on the screen and several great uses of special effects, camera tricks, and editing. This film is wonderful and I highly recommend it to everyone. Of course if for some ridiculous reason you don't like old movies or black and white films, than that really is your loss.
Citizen Kane has aged extraordinarily well and can still enjoyed regardless of the decade that it is watched it. This masterpiece just gets better with repeated viewings. 4 out of 4 stars
-Joseph Sbrilli
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